
THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE 

NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY BUILDING 



X^o- ilM^ 



THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE 

NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY BUILDING 



NOW FIRST MADE KNOWN BY 

CHARLES ROBERT CORNING 

President of the Society 




PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY 
ANNO DOMINI, 1920 






fimM 




t 
I 

^ THE UNWRITTEN HISTORY OF THE NEW 

^ HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 



^< 



BUILDING 
Charles R. Corning 

I have been impressed since the dedication of 
the New Hampshire Historical Society Building 
that there still remained a historical residuum 
worthy to be noticed and remembered. By this 
I mean a chapter in our annals that has never been 
written. While the history of the Society, from 
its foundation nearly a century ago down to the 
opening of our beautiful building, has been written 
and preserved for all time, and the description of 
the building and its charms and richness similarly 
treated, there seemed to be wanting something to 
complete the narrative. And that something I 
denominate a historical residuum. In the objec- 
tive point of view nothing perhaps has been left 
unwritten, but subjectively the fact is otherwise. 
We know that we possess one of the really beauti- 
ful structures of the country, into whose construc- 

[I] 



tion the willing and unlimited generosity of 
Edward Tuck invited the exquisite skill of the 
architect and the resources of the builder. But we 
do not know the history of the meeting of the 
minds that made this splendid work a reality to 
those who had hoped and dreamed in the days 
when the old building was our only possession. 

Psychology, I think, played an unsuspected 
part in the result. At any rate there was meet- 
ing of minds, there was touching of souls re- 
sponsive to beauty in things material. Call it as 
one may, this Historical Building as we see it did 
not spring into living beauty complete and perfect 
in the twinkling of an eye or at a nod of com- 
mand. Things unseen to the common vision are 
sometimes the influence that makes possible works 
and deeds of surprising excellence and service. 

The opening year of this century marked a crisis 
in the affairs of our Society by introducing a situa- 
tion perplexing and disturbing. At the annual 
meeting a year or two before, the librarian, 
Nathan F. Carter, called the attention of members 
to the immediate necessity for more working space 



and book room than were afforded in the old build- 
ing. At the annual meeting in June, 1900, Mr. 
Carter again referred to the matter, and was 
followed by John C. Thorne who, understanding 
the conditions, emphasized his remarks by saying 
"A crisis has evidently come in the Historical 
Society. How shall it be met.?" The President 
of the Society was William C. Todd of Atkinson, 
a man of scholarly instincts, an observer of men 
and circumstances, clear-headed, generous and 
judicious, a living asset of progress. Fortunate, 
indeed, was our Society in possessing a member 
endowed with Mr. Todd's characteristics. Ex- 
perience and years had brought caution and well 
reasoned opinions on matters in which he felt a 
deep interest, and the Historical Society was an 
institution he loved. Accordingly he presented 
this communication to that June meeting: 

"No object in New Hampshire is more worthy 
of support than the New Hampshire Historical 
Society. The most distinguished men of the 
State were active in its formation, and have been 
interested in its success. It was incorporated 

I3] 



June 14, 1823, and the first named of its incorpora- 
tors was the eminent lawyer, Ichabod Bartlett. 
Its history has been an honorable one. Nearly 
every prominent man in the State has taken part 
in its proceedings; its published volumes have 
been much sought, and its collection of rare his- 
torical matter is of incalculable value and could 
not be duplicated. It has received from its friends 
many gifts, much wisdom, but little money, and 
is financially poor. 

"For years its collections were moved from place 
to place as room could be found for them, and had 
no permanent home till some generous friends in 
1866 purchased the building now occupied. This 
is now full, and the annual increase of books and 
pamphlets is 3,000. * * * j^ j^^g been sug- 
gested that many books of little value could be 
disposed of and thus room provided. 

"If such a plan were wise the relief would only 
be temporary. If the Society is to be preserved 
and to increase its usefulness, it seems as if a large 
fireproof addition must be placed on the land 
recently purchased adjoining the Society building 

[4] 



on the south, known as the Chadwick property. A 
crisis has evidently come in the history of the 
Society. How shall it be met.^ Wisconsin is a 
new State, but in the first year of its existence a 
Historical Society was established, which now has 
over 100,000 volumes, over 100,000 pamphlets, 
10,000 bound volumes of newspapers, and is the 
pride of the State, with a world-wide reputation. 
A new building has been provided for its collec- 
tions and those of the State Library at a cost of 
^640,000, and the State is in future to give it 
^15,000 annually, instead of $5,000 as in the past. 
The Massachusetts Historical Society has become 
rich by private munificence, and other state his- 
torical societies are well supported. The spirit of 
historical and genealogical research throughout the 
country is greater than ever before. Shall New 
Hampshire, one of the oldest and most respected 
States of the Union, prove worthy of its past repu- 
tation in all educational advance, and sustain its 
Historical Society? The least sum for a suitable 
fireproof addition is $10,000, and many thousands 
more should be provided. If not less than $5,000 

(Si 



can be secured from others before November i, 
1900, I will add five thousand dollars (^5,000)." 

Here was an offer to cause thought and stimu- 
late activity. Mr. Todd had cast a coin into the 
placid waters, creating the circle that, enlarging 
as it journeyed, finally touched the shores of 
France. In the meanwhile the friends of the 
Society responded to the President's offer and sub- 
scribed the desired sum, so that at the June meet- 
ing, 1901, the Treasurer reported a building fund 
of ^$10,290.89. A committee consisting of William 
C. Todd, Benjamin A. Kimball, Samuel C. East- 
man, Joseph B. Walker, and Virgil C. Gilman was 
chosen to take into consideration the subject of 
new or enlarged accommodations for the library 
and rooms of the Society. At a meeting held 
January 13, 1903, this committee made a careful 
and well considered report which may be found 
in Proceedings of the New Hampshire Historical 
Society, vol. 4, p. 233. 

The important conclusions in that report were 
these: the committee obtained an estimate of what 
could be done with $10,000; they found that 

[6] 



this amount of money would be utterly inadequate 
to build an addition on Main Street of a size and 
style that would be in harmony with the building, 
and be at the same time fireproof. "If such 
a building is desired," continued the report, "a 
much larger fund must be created." The com- 
mittee agreed that an addition to the building was 
not desirable. Such an addition would be only a 
makeshift, and it would be far better in the long 
run to secure an entirely new building adapted not 
only to present needs, but so planned as to be 
enlarged to meet the future growth of the Society. 
"If the recommendations of the committee meet 
with the approval of the Society, time can be 
gained to secure the means for a better building 
than could be obtained from the present fund. 
Hopes are entertained by many interested in the 
welfare of the Society that such a result can be 
secured from efforts that are now being made." 
At an adjourned meeting held in February, 1903, 
a special committee was chosen to solicit additional 
funds for the erection of a new building. The com- 
mittee named were William C. Todd, William P. 

[7] 



Fiske, William E. Chandler, Henry M. Baker, 
John F. Jones, and John C. Thorne. The building 
fund was soon increased to ^20,000, through the 
efforts of Mr. Fiske and Mr. Thorne of this com- 
mittee, Mr. Fiske securing a promise of ^5,000 
from Nathaniel Sherman Bouton of Chicago, and 
Mr. Thorne securing a like sum from the trustees 
of the John H. Pearson estate. 

At the annual meeting in June, 1905, a committee 
previously appointed to procure plans for a new 
building on the old site offered its report and 
recommendations. A suitable building could be 
erected for ^25,000, fireproof, well equipped and 
good for fifty years to come. Then followed this 
significant intimation which was to mean so much 
to the Society: "Information has, however, come 
to the committee recently that there is a possi- 
bility of a large gift for building and endowment 
which is worthy of our careful consideration. The 
committee, after duly considering this, has deemed 
it wise to recommend that further action in regard 
to the erection of a new building be postponed 
until the next annual meeting." 



What had happened in the meanwhile to cause 
the committee to report that discussion of a new 
building should be postponed? Ever since Presi- 
dent Todd, addressing the annual meeting in 1900, 
had called attention to the crisis in the affairs of 
the Society, the subject had wakened a lively 
interest in the minds of many of the members who 
were deeply desirous to help the venerable Society 
in its hour of distress. Naturally the idea of a 
new building on the old site was in the minds of 
many members, both because of long time asso- 
ciation and the limited sum available for building 
purposes. Something in the meantime had oc- 
curred to stay the efforts of those who so stren- 
uously favored building on the old foundations. 
What was it.^ The meeting received new light 
when a resolution was adopted declaring that "it 
is for the best interests of the Society to erect a 
building that shall be an ornament and credit to 
the State, that the present fund is inadequate, 
and that a committee of three be appointed to 
increase the funds and procure designs for a build- 
ing of a classical character, so that the donors may 

[9] 



see the type of construction contemplated." Two 
members of this committee of three were Ben- 
jamin A. Kimball and Samuel C. Eastman, both 
of whom were heartily in favor of a more con- 
venient and imposing location. It became evi- 
dent that a project larger in scope and richer in 
detail than any heretofore discussed was assuming 
form and gathering strength, but no public dis- 
closure had been made. Uncertainty concerning 
the future gradually disappeared, and there came 
the feeling of hope. The members favorable to 
the old site with a building fund of ^30,000, real- 
izing the meaning of what had occurred, abandoned 
their position and gave constant support to the 
new plan and the new location. 

The unrecorded history of what took place from 
1901 to 191 1 began when Mr. Kimball exhibited 
to the annual meeting sketches and plans of the 
new building, and John C. Thorne offered this 
resolution: "That Benjamin A. Kimball, Samuel 
C. Eastman, Henry W. Stevens, Frank N. Parsons, 
and Frank W. Hackett be appointed a building 
committee, with full power to raise such sums of 

[lol 



money as may be necessary, in addition to the funds 
of the Society now especially pledged and available 
therefor, to purchase the land on the corner of 
North State and Park Streets in Concord, and to 
erect thereon a new library building on the plan 
submitted to the Society at this meeting, subject 
to such modifications as may be found expedient 
or necessary." The unrecorded or unwritten his- 
tory during that period I will try to relate. 

The publication of our proceedings has preserved 
the story of the construction and dedication of the 
New Hampshire Historical Society building which 
all may read and understand, but the undisclosed 
history of the undertaking, its inception and 
development, makes a story worthy to be heard. 
I have felt that the whole story ought to be told, 
and that the telling of the personal equation and 
its influence in this beautiful culmination was an 
indispensable part in the history of the New Hamp- 
shire Historical Society. How often have I been 
asked why Edward Tuck should build so splendid 
a memorial in a community no closer to him than 
Concord! What influences directed him to this 

[II] 



work? Influence, as we commonly interpret it, 
had little or nothing to do with Mr. Tuck's great 
donations. Influence in this instance was a gen- 
erous and receptive mind communing with life- 
long principles of benevolence. In truth this man 
of profound good-will, of keen comprehension, of 
imagination, of sane views and application, and of 
trustful disposition was the ally of Mr. Kimball and 
Mr. Todd in their wonderful labors. Fortunately 
the correspondence, strengthened by recollections 
of the leading actors in the conception and develop- 
ment of the undertaking, has been put into my 
hands to be treated as I should determine. My 
beginning was this communication: 

Concord, New Hampshire, July 4, 1917. 

My dear Mr. Kimball: 

If I am not asking too much, and I am not in- 
sensible to your many urgent occupations, I wish 
you would detail to me through your stenographer 
the beginning of Mr. Tuck's interest in our His- 
torical Society building. 

During my visit at Vert Mont Mr. Tuck more 
than once remarked to me that "you would never 
have had your Historical building if it had not 

[12] 



been for Mr. Kimball." With my respect for 
historical accuracy and truth I believe that this 
incident in your career ought to be made known 
and preserved. No man has created so imposing 
a memorial of work so splendid and enduring as 
you have created in Concord. "Circumspice" 
applies to you as it applied to Wren and St. Paul's. 
I hope I am not asking too much of you inasmuch 
as my request will serve history. 
Very truly, 

Charles R. Corning. 

Mr. Kimball mailed this note to Mr. Tuck who 

replied : 

82 Champs Elysees, 
Paris, August nth, 1917. 

Dear Mr. Kimball: 

Since I wrote you July 28th I have received 
your letter written at The Broads with your eagle 
quill on July 8th, dealing with Coming's enquiry 
for the early history of the project of a new building 
for the Historical Society. 

I am sending you under separate registered cover 
Mr. Todd's first letter to me dated June 25, 1901, 
thus antedating apparently his first letter to you 
on the subject which was in October of the same 
year. I am returning it to you herewith, as also 
Coming's letter. 

I am very glad Corning is taking up this matter, 
for the facts are worthy of record. To Mr. Todd 

[13] 



is due the credit of the inception of the project 
and awakening my early interest in it. To you 
is due the greater credit of having multipHed his 
efforts a hundredfold, and of having stimulated 
my interest in the matter, with the result that 
between us we have now, in the words of a repre- 
sentative of Mr. Lowell who, you say, had just 
been over the building for the first time, a monu- 
ment "the like of which does not exist in the 
United States." 

Corning quotes me correctly as having said that 
we never would have had such a building except 
for Mr. Kimball. It was only my faith in your 
wonderful taste and knowledge in artistic and 
architectural matters, and in your fidelity and zeal, 
heart and soul, in the work, that made me willing 
to place such a great sum of money in such an 
object. I can truly say that I consider it perhaps 
the happiest inspiration of my life to have gone 
into this enterprise, and to have brought it with 
you to so magnificent a conclusion, of which we 
and our successors will never cease to be proud. 

With Mr. Todd's letter I am sending various 
pieces which I have numbered in sequence. They 
appear to be all that I have of special interest until 
the years 1906 and 1907. They will all explain 
themselves without further remark from me. 
You have, I am sure, a better recollection of our 
various conversations than I have. I wish now 
that I had kept a record, although perhaps it is of 

[14] 



no great consequence. I do remember that I did 
not wish to have Carnegie's finger in our pie. We 
have done fairly well without him; in fact you and 
I would not be willing to trade our building for any 
forty or more that he has ever erected. 
Yours affectionately, 

Edward Tuck. 

William C. Todd, born in 1823, was not far from 
eighty years of age when the condition of the 
Society, so urgent and pressing, touched his loyal 
nature to the quick and compelled him to act. I 
have mentioned the offer made by him in 1900, 
and the words he delivered at the annual meeting 
of the following year. No one saw the critical 
situation clearer than he, or attempted remedial 
measures more resolutely. A graduate of Dart- 
mouth, he chose the teacher's profession, becoming 
head of the academy at Atkinson, his native town, 
and later principal of the Girls' High School in 
Newburyport. From slender beginnings, by pru- 
dence and saving, Mr. Todd was laying up a 
modest competence, when Fortune introduced 
him to the Bell telephone, at that time a neglected 
foundling in the world of finance. The result was 

[15] 



that Mr. Todd became a wealthy man. No pen 
picture can present William C. Todd as he walked 
our streets and conversed with his friends, but the 
record has been written of his generosity in life 
and his benefactions after death. No reflective 
member of this Society can ever efface the picture 
of this aged man lying on his death bed, his mind 
alive to the necessities of his beloved Society, and 
his trembling hand composing an appeal to the 
one responsive soul in all the world who listened, 
and who finally wrought the miracle. 

Mr. Todd's first communication with Mr. Tuck 
was this letter: 

Atkinson, N. H., June 25, 1901. 

Edward Tuck, Esq. 

My dear Sir: 
After much hesitation I have concluded to 
address you in regard to the New Hampshire 
Historical Society in which I have become much 
interested. It is one of the oldest of similar soci- 
eties in the country, and has had the support of 
the ablest and most distinguished men of the State. 
Its origin dates back to 1823. March 3, 1823, a 
literary society of Portsmouth addressed an invi- 
tation to eighteen literary gentlemen of Rocking- 

f 16I 



ham and Strafford counties on the subject, who 
met at Exeter March 13, when that able lawyer 
Ichabod Bartlett presided. It was decided to 
form a society, and a committee was chosen to 
invite gentlemen to meet in Portsmouth for that 
purpose. This was done, and the society was 
organized May 20, 1823, and incorporated June 13, 

1823. 

The first president was William Plumer, Jr., of 
Epping, at one time Governor, followed by Levi 
Woodbury, Ichabod Bartlett and other distin- 
guished men of the State, who from the first have 
been among its officers, have given addresses before 
it, and contributed to its publications. To the 
efforts of men like John Farmer, Jacob B. Moore, 
Rev. Dr. Bouton, in connection with this society, 
we owe, I think, the large amount of valuable 
information acquired on the early history of New 
Hampshire. 

Among the past members of the Society more or 
less active in its history can be named such men as 
Ichabod Bartlett, Charles H. Atherton, Samuel D. 
Bell, Jeremiah Smith, Isaac Hill, Ira Perley, Frank- 
lin Pierce, Amos Tuck, Rev. Dr. Peabody, Rev. 
Nathan Lord, Jeremiah Mason, John S. Wells, 
J. J. Bell and Charles H. Bell, both its Presidents 
for years, Joel Parker, and many others who have 
been leading actors in the affairs of the State, and 
few States can point to an equal number of men of 
whom it would have more reason to be proud. 

[17I 



Some of the collections of the Society are very 
valuable, and more would have been published if 
the funds had permitted, but the Society is poor. 
Its permanent fund, after 78 years, is only ^11,400, 
whose income is almost fully restricted. There 
are about 170 members paying an annual assess- 
ment of ^3. Only two gifts, I think, as large as 
^1,000 in money have been received in Its whole 
history, though wisdom has been freely offered. 
It receives from the State $500 a year, which small 
sum is used to pay the Librarian, a retired clergyman 
and a Dartmouth graduate. 

The Massachusetts Historical Society has just 
erected a new building at a cost of ^195,044, and 
has invested funds of ^182,339. One of the first 
acts of Wisconsin when It became a State was to 
establish a Historical Society, which has been Its 
great pride, receives from the State an annual gift 
of $5,000 for Its support, has a national, if not a 
European reputation, and the State has just 
erected for its use and that of the State Library a 
building at a cost of about $650,000. 

The building used at Concord is an old bank 
building, is literally filled with treasures, among 
them sixteen volumes of unpublished letters of 
Daniel Webster, the gift of Peter Harvey. The 
Sabine collection of 7,000 volumes will come to the 
Society on the decease of an old lady of 83, and 
there is no room for them. 

It has been impressed on me that no object in 
New Hampshire is more worthy of aid than this 

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Society, and its first great want is a new fireproof 
building. My means are limited but I have no 
family, and I last year offered $5,000 for this pur- 
pose if a like amount could be secured from others. 
This was done in small amounts, over 100 aiding, 
much of it from friends away from the State, and 
the Society now has a building fund of $10,000, 
but it needs $25,000 or $30,000 to build what seems 
to be a necessity if the Society is to continue its 
existence. 

As one of the first settled States, New Hamp- 
shire offers a wide field for historical research, for 
which this Society seems to be the proper medium. 
May its good work in the past be continued. 

I am a stranger to you, and have seen you only 
once. I was in i860 a member of the examining 
committee at Dartmouth, and noticed you because 
I knew your father. I was born in the same con- 
gressional district, belonged to the same political 
party, became acquainted with him, and on my 
way to Washington, meeting him in Boston, he 
volunteered to give me a letter to Mr. Lincoln. 
Like all Dartmouth men I rejoice in your noble 
gift to our alma mater. I gave it a $1,000 scholar- 
ship years ago from money earned in teaching. 

I ask pardon for this letter, and for addressing 
you at all, knowing how many appeals of this kind 
you must receive. 

Very respectfully yours, 

Wm. C. Todd, Dart. 1844. 



19 



The second act in this interesting narrative was 
Mr. Tuck's kind acknowledgment to Mr. Todd: 

Paris, September i8th, 1901. 

W. C. Todd, Esq., Atkinson, N. H. 
My dear Sir: — 

Your very interesting letter of June 25th regard- 
ing the New Hampshire Historical Society reached 
me some time ago, and has merited a more prompt 
reply. 

You need make no apology for calling my atten- 
tion to the present condition of the Society. On 
the contrary, I thank you for informing me so 
fully regarding the great interest taken in the for- 
mation and the development of the Society by dis- 
tinguished sons of New Hampshire in the past, and 
of its straightened condition which ought not to be. 
I was among those who contributed last year to 
the building fund of which you speak, although 
my interest in the Society was not at all awakened 
as it has been by your letter. You, individually, 
have certainly been more than generous in your 
own contribution for the needed fund. I shall 
bear in mind all you have written me, and it may 
be that somewhat later I shall be in a position to 
aid materially in the good work which you so 
disinterestedly have taken up. It would certainly 
give me great pleasure if I felt able and free to 
do so. 

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In the meantime I shall be glad to hear from you 
further in detail as to what you think needs to be 
done to relieve the Society from its present distress, 
to assure its further existence, and to provide com- 
fortably for its installation in a suitable new build- 
ing, over and above whatever funds and means of 
support it already has in hand. 

Thanking you for your letter I am yours very 

^' Edward Tuck. 

William C. Todd then interested Benjamin A. 
Kimball both by correspondence and interviews, 
securing his masterful aid and co-operation which, 
once begun, continued to the end. Mr. Kimball 
had long been a member of the Society, and had 
served as President during the years 1 895-1 897, 
but, as he says, he had not in the stress of stren- 
uous business and corporate activities given atten- 
tion to the wants and necessities of the Society. 
He and Mr. Todd were old friends strongly at- 
tached to each other by college ties, as both were 
graduates of Dartmouth. In the notes prepared 
in response to my letter of July 4, 191 7, Mr. Kim- 
ball says: 

"My attention relative to the needs of the His- 

[21] 



torical Society was first aroused by a letter from 
Mr. Todd written October 28, 1901. It was from 
an old-time friend, bristling with acuteness and 
intelligence and suggestive of the unique person- 
ality of the writer." 

William C. Todd possessed a quaint and unusual 
personality which, as Mr. Kimball says, Dickens 
ought to have encountered. "That squeaky, 
husky voice will never be forgotten." After a 
few letters and visits from Mr. Kimball to Mr. 
Todd, who, it should be remembered, was in bed 
and gradually nearing the close of life, Mr. Kimball 
received these letters which made so deep an im- 
pression and led to results so magnificent. The 
letter of October 28, 1901, was historically impor- 
tant. This famous letter contained references of 
the greatest importance to the New Hampshire 
Historical Society, to the State, and to Concord. 
"First of all there should be a new building for its 
valuable treasures." This thought presented by 
Mr. Todd gave Mr. Kimball his first positive con- 
ception concerning the condition and the future 
of the Society. 

[22] 



Atkinson, N. H., Aug. 6, 1901. 

Hon. Benj. A. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
Dear Mr. Kimball: — 

There is to be a meeting of the special committee 
on the new building, or addition to the present, 
Aug. 13. I doubt if I can be present but I trust 
you will attend. I am more and more persuaded 
that the Society cannot go on and prosper unless 
something is done. The Historical Societies all 
over the land are active, having new buildings, but 
the New Hampshire Society has for years been 
stationary. It took over 100 subscriptions last 
year, many of them out of the State, to raise the 
paltry sum of ^5,000, showing how little is the 
general interest felt in the Society. I can do 
nothing more. I am comparatively unknown, with 
no influence; you are well known, and could raise 
any needed sum for almost any worthy object. 
My means are limited, but I have come to the 
conclusion that it is better to try and do some good 
with my little than leave it, as did Mr. Pearson, to 
feed hungry lawyers. I have just paid ^50,000 
for a needed hospital in Newburyport. I can 
think of no object of more use to the State, and 
especially Concord, than a new historical building, 
and you or any one else who will secure it will 
erect for himself a more enduring monument than 
any of granite. 

The present building is old, infirm, is not fire- 
proof, and to add to it would make a deformity of 

[23I 



which no one would be proud. A new structure is 
needed, and the one who will secure it will make a 
proud name for himself with this generation and 
posterity. The whole matter was left open at the 
annual meeting, as I understood you wished. 
Hope something can be done, but it must be by 
money from those who have it and are willing to 
give. I have recently written to a wealthy gentle- 
man but have had no reply. 

I trust you are well after a most trying summer. 
Very truly yours, 

Wm. C. Todd. 

Mr. Tuck replied by letter September i8, 1901. 
This is the letter referred to by Mr. Kimball as 
important: 

Atkinson, N. H., October 28, 1901. 

Hon. Benj. A. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
Dear Mr. Kimball: — 

* * * I am pleased, also, that you are inter- 
ested in the New Hampshire Historical Society. 
Nothing in New Hampshire, it seems to me, more 
deserves support than this Society, and nothing 
will make Mr. Carnegie, or whoever else may give 
to it, longer remembered. 

Historical Societies, all over the country, are 
receiving increased attention, and no State has a 
richer field for investigation, and in no State has 

[24] 



there been of late so little Interest as in New Hamp- 
shire, one of the oldest States in the Union. I 
think that there is much to be done, and, first of all, 
there should be a new building worthy of the State 
and of Concord, and I trust at no distant date it can 
be secured. You can do much more than myself 
because you are so much better known, and people 
have much confidence in your good judgment. Its 
past publications are very valuable, and the Society 
has material for more if it had the money. In the 
volume I recently published, in the article on Gen. 
Peabody, I stated that two thirds of the soldiers 
at Bunker Hill were from New Hampshire, and 
the State should have credit of it. The Nation, in 
a review of the book, states that this is strictly 
true, though it seems so impossible, and refers to 
a publication of the Society to substantiate it. I 
have faith that, sooner or later, this Society will 
have its wants supplied, for it is a privilege to aid 
it. I have some things in my mind, but they may 
have no practical result. 

Please pardon this long, hasty letter. I presume 
you have such inflictions occasionally. 

Very sincerely yours, with many thanks, 

Wm. C. Todd. 

Mr. Kimball calls this a famous letter, and it 
certainly deserves that name, but there was to be 
one more communication sent from the sick room 

[25I 



I in Newburyport to Edward Tuck in Paris. Mr. 

Kimball refers to this in these words, "the last and 

I very important letter on the subject of a new 

building was written by Mr. Todd some time in 
1902, and it enlisted Mr. Tuck's interest in the 
proposition." Unfortunately that letter cannot 
be found, but its moving inspiration, soon to be 
revealed in actions, brings to our minds the pathos 
and force of the sick man's last appeal. "Mr. 
Tuck," Mr. Kimball says, "sent the letter to me 
with suggestions which later resulted in realities." 

\ Well may Mr. Kimball add, "this second letter of 

Mr. Todd's laid the foundations for one of the 
finest and most enduring structures of our time." 
Mr. Tuck acknowledged this letter, warmly and 
sympathetically manifesting his interest and will- 
ingness to contribute to the funds necessary to build 
on new foundations. 

Paris, December 9th, 1902. 

Hon. William C. Todd, Newburyport, Mass. 
Dear Mr. Todd:— 
I am in receipt of your interesting letter of 
November 28th, which bears testimony to your 

[26 1 



faithful devotion these many years to the welfare 
of the New Hampshire Historical Society, to which 
you have given so much both of your time and of 
your money. I trust that you may live to see your 
efforts crowned with success, and preparations 
made, if not fully completed, for the installation in 
a new and worthy habitation of the Society's 
valuable books and collections. 

I have not forgotten the letter which you wrote 
me two years ago, and which first aroused an 
interest in my mind in behalf of the Society. ^ It 
may be that I can some day make a contribution 
with others to aid in bringing together the neces- 
sary funds for the construction of the new building. 
I do not feel free to do so at the present moment,^ as 
I am committed in some other directions which 
will require all my available resources for the time 
being. Not the least among the reasons which 
would impel me to make a liberal contribution for 
this good purpose is the fact that you yourself 
have labored so disinterestedly in its behalf, and 
at the present time, even on your sick bed, are 
endeavoring to enlist the co-operation of myself 
and others in accomplishing the desired results. 

I thank you for your letter and for your kind 
words regarding my father and myself, and I am, 
with best wishes for your restoration to health. 

Yours very truly, 

Edward Tuck. 

This letter indicates on the part of its writer an 

[27] 



awakening interest in the Historical Society, and 
the disposition to contribute to its welfare. 

December 8th, 1902. 

Hon. B. a. Kimball, Concord, N. H. 
My dear Mr. Kimball: 

I will answer at once your letter this moment 
received, written on Thanksgiving Day, telling me 
of your call upon Mr. Todd at Newburyport, 
where I am sorry to learn that he is so ill. I am 
also in receipt to-day of a letter from him in ful- 
filment of his intention declared to you, which is 
full of the object he has so much at heart. His 
letter is an excellent one, most interesting and 
lucid, and from it I should not have supposed, had 
I not learned otherwise from you, that his illness 
was so serious. He even expresses the hope that 
he will meet me next year in the United States. 
I suppose he is a very old man now, and your fears 
as to his ever being able to leave his bed again I 
am afraid are too well founded. I should be glad 
to receive a copy of Mr. Todd's address at the 
annual meeting of the New Hampshire Historical 
Society, and also the report of the committee, of 
which he speaks but does not mention sending 
to me. 

I have delayed replying to your letter of October 
31st, in which you referred to the financial wants 
of the Historical Society, but not from any lack of 

[28I 



interest in the subject. I have a good many- 
demands upon me just at the present time in other 
directions, but I shall not forget the necessities of 
your important Society, and it is possible that 
some time in the future I may feel free to make a 
contribution toward the fund required to place it 
in substantial and worthy quarters. * * * 

Edward Tuck. 

Mr. Kimball's letter, to which Mr. Tuck referred, 
after mentioning Dartmouth College and its busi- 
ness affairs, continued with a direct allusion to the 
Society which was undoubtedly the earliest com- 
munication on the subject in which these two 
friends had so deep an interest, and were destined 
to work out a result so splendid. 

Concord, October 31, 1902. 
* * * Just a few lines about the New Hamp- 
shire Historical Society, about which Mr. Todd, its 
President, has written you more or less, and con- 
cerning which Mr. Henry W. Stevens has talked 
with you, thinking you might be interested in it in 
the future or at your leisure. I know our people, 
far and near, are indebted for your philanthropic 
work, consequently do not feel like suggesting or 
asking your consideration of our valuable Society 
and its necessities, only to say that I intend, so far 

[29] 



as I am able, to assist towards obtaining a fine 
substantial building as a home for this venerable 
and valuable institution, which is capable of ex- 
erting such great influence upon the citizens of New 
Hampshire on account of its valuable collections of 
material. 

In addition to what Mr. Todd has already 
donated ($5,000.00), I think he will join any enter- 
prise to the end I have suggested, a new and 
permanent building. 

He has recently given a fund for the establish- 
ment of a city hospital in Newburyport. At his 
request I am intending to call upon him at New- 
buryport, where he is ill at the present time. He 
may possibly talk over this matter. If so I shall 
be pleased to confer with him. 

Mr. Todd and myself have held up the question 
of constructing an annex to the old building, which 
we and other prominent men of the State regarded 
as an unfortunate procedure. 

Pardon me for mentioning the Historical Society 
question of a new building. I did so, knowing your 
interest in the Society as something that should 
be safely cared for and perpetuated to the honor 
of the old State and its distinguished roll of 
members. 

With the kindest regards and best wishes for 
you and Mrs. Tuck, I am 

Sincerely yours, 

B. A. Kimball. 



30 



Mr. Todd's life was drawing to its close. He was 
unable to walk out or to welcome his friends, other 
than old friends, among whom none was closer 
than Mr. Kimball. During the year 1902 Mr. 
Kimball saw his old-time friend more than once, 
the last visit taking place late in that year and is 
recorded in these words: 

"I visited Mr. Todd in Newburyport in the fall 
of 1902, where he was ill and confined to his room 
in Mrs. Spaulding's home. Knowing that I was 
expected, he was ready to receive me with many 
suggestions which he wished me to convey per- 
sonally to Mr. Tuck relative to the New Hampshire 
Historical Society, as he understood I intended to 
sail for Paris within a few weeks. I remember 
distinctly his saying to me, T am impressed with 
the idea that you will find Mr. Tuck an important 
factor in the upbuilding of the New Hampshire 
Historical Society. His letter to me indicates 
most conclusively that his mind trends in this 
direction.' While I was with him I recall that he 
expressed his regrets respecting his gift of ^50,000 
to the Boston Public Library, which on reflection 

[31I 



he considered a mistake. He then said, *My 
estate will not be sufficient to contribute more than 
the amount named in my will, and I want you to 
say this to Mr. Tuck.' So far as I am able to learn 
this was the last reference to the subject ever made 
by the loyal old man, for he died in June, 1903." 

On July 30, 191 8, Mr. Tuck wrote to me respect- 
ing the last letter from William C. Todd. "You 
ask me about the missing Todd letter. I doubt if 
there is one missing. I do not remember that he 
ever wrote me much more than what was in the 
letter or letters you have. His ideas were very 
modest. The project of a new building for the 
Historical Society pleased me from the start, and 
developed itself gradually In my mind after my 
annual conferences with Mr. Kimball Into the 
greater scheme which we ultimately carried out. 
I was much impressed by Mr. Todd's passion, as 
I might call It, for the Society, and I was inspired 
by his example, rather than by his preaching, to 
accomplish on a grand scale what he had to leave 
undone at his death." Whether or not the letter 
which Mr. Kimball considered very Important was 

[32] 



really written or has been mislaid is now an inter- 
esting surmise on the part of the historian. But 
we are certainly left without any doubt, by what 
Mr. Tuck has written, that he was inspired by Mr. 
Todd's passion and example. 

Mr. Kimball now became an important person 
in planning and directing the greater scheme, as 
Mr. Tuck called it. Fortunate, indeed, it was to 
the donor and to the Society that Mr. Kimball 
assumed control of the work from the beginning 
and continued in charge until the completion. If 
my purpose were to sketch a biography in this 
connection, Mr. Kimball would occupy a large and 
deserved place, but such is not my design. Into 
this agreeable undertaking he entered with a full 
heart. Endowed with accurate architectural tastes, 
strengthened and enriched by long and varied 
experience, much reading and observation, Mr. 
Kimball was the ideal man for the work in hand. 

In intelligent and thorough method of prepara- 
tion, attention to details, calm judgment and sound 
sense few men in New Hampshire have been his 
equal. Here in Concord the railroad station, the 

[33] 



State Library, his Main Street residence attest 
the measure of his taste and devotion to the prin- 
ciples of attractiveness and usefulness in construc- 
tion. No one recognized these gifts more clearly 
than did Edward Tuck. What he thought about 
those gifts and the confidence they inspired are 
set forth in his letter of August ii, 1917. Mr. 
Kimball belongs to the class of men known and 
recognized as masterful men in the management of 
public affairs, but in his case the master mind "s 
agreeable and sympathetic. Tactful in his rela- 
tions with others, receptive in mind, free from 
impulse, with an intelligence of high order, he 
proved to be in this great undertaking a helpful 
and suggestive representative of Mr. and Mrs. 
Tuck. Among his characteristics is the extremely 
valuable possession of a disposition that enables 
him to work with men and bring about the desired 
results. The preliminary and formative efforts of 
Mr. Kimball from the death of William C. Todd 
in 1903 to the laying of the corner stone six years 
later make a valuable and interesting chapter in 
personal achievement. 

[34] 



I venture to say that, from the hour when the 
vision of a splendid and creditable Historical Soci- 
ety building began to assume its exquisite features, 
to the moment when he handed the symbolical 
key to Mr. Tuck in November, 191 1, the realiza- 
tion of the perfect work was never absent from his 
mind. And this means much when we think of the 
urgent business of banks and railroads and manufac- 
tures that beset him day and night without ceasing. 
But his heart was in this work and it brooked no 
rival. A new Society building erected on land in the 
central part of Concord near the State House was 
Mr. Kimball's purpose from the first, and to that 
end he directed his energy and influence. When 
asked what the probable cost of a new building 
would be he replied "not less than a hundred thou- 
sand dollars." This reply, made before the new site 
had been purchased or any plans had been drawn, 
proved to be a modest yet not an unwarranted esti- 
mate at the time. But the project gradually grew 
in shape and dignity as the months went on. 

Mr. Tuck had now become actively interested 
through intercourse with Mr. Kimball who, in 

[35] 



those days, made an annual visit to Europe for 
rest and recreation. He naturally passed much 
time with Mr. and Mrs. Tuck at Vert Mont and in 
Paris. At one of these early visits the subject of 
the Historical Society came up in conversation, 
and the cost of land and building was mentioned, 
together with the suggestion advanced by a mem- 
ber of the committee that an appeal might be made 
to the generosity of Andrew Carnegie. Whereupon 
Mr. Tuck remarked "The New Hampshire His- 
torical Society should not ask Mr. Carnegie for 
funds; they should furnish their own funds and 
build their own building." Another visit brought 
out the matter of the form and construction ac- 
cording to some sketch designs which Mr. Kimball 
had secured to show to Mr. and Mrs. Tuck. How 
completely the project underwent a change in the 
minds of those three friends of the Society is an 
interesting feature in the unwritten history of the 
Historical Society, for we now know that those 
early conversations and critical examinations of 
the tentative plans had to do wholly with a build- 
ing to be constructed of brick. 

[36] 



"I considered this subject for several months," 
says Mr. Kimball, "and finally decided that the 
matter of material, so vitally important, ought to 
be explained in detail to Mr. Tuck; accordingly I 
made another visit to Paris." We now become 
informed concerning an act in the unwritten his- 
tory of our Society, an act munificent and decisive. 
I believe that this beautiful building and its sur- 
roundings were due beyond any doubt to that all- 
important visit to Paris, when the vision of what 
might be possible to accomplish was revealed to 
two persons whose names will always be revered 
by ourselves and our successors. Mr. and Mrs. 
Tuck listened to Mr. Kimball's views and com- 
ments, examined and criticised the plans and 
sketches laid before them, discussed the momen- 
tous question of material, whether of brick or 
granite, thought over and studied the architectural 
form and features with care and devotion. This 
continued day after day, when new details, changes, 
modifications, ideas, were carefully considered. 
Let Mr. Kimball tell the story: "After a few days 
of discussion Mr. Tuck said, *I think that the best 

[37] 



construction and design are none too good; we 
ought to have the best.' 

"This important decision meant that the build- 
ing should be Greek in design, so I said to my 
friends that this would entail many more tech- 
nical details beyond what we had talked about, 
and would increase the cost very greatly. They ex- 
claimed 'Certainly. We know it, but we want this 
building to be the best of its kind, so you proceed to 
erect it as suggested and avoid publicity as much 
as possible.' " No wonder that Mr. Kimball 
regards that visit as the ne plus ultra of his great 
endeavors connected with this work. The ques- 
tion concerning the kind of material to be used was 
settled by Mr. Tuck, whose love of his native 
Granite State was a part of his life, and who, 
realizing the appropriateness of granite, deter- 
mined that the structure should be built of New 
Hampshire's famous stone. With a light heart 
and confident hope Mr. Kimball returned to Con- 
cord and reported to his friends the results of his 
conference which meant so much to the Society. 
The purchase of the site now became a large and 

[38] 



difficult undertaking, in view of the funds In the 
treasury that could properly be applied to that 
purpose. The corner at State and Park Streets, 
which comprised the Rolfe house on State Street, 
the Mead house on the corner, and the Lapierre 
house west on Park Street, was the site selected and 
purchased. This purchase was made by Samuel C. 
Eastman, who had favored a central location from 
the beginning, and had been very helpful in assist- 
ing Mr. Kimball. "We gave our personal notes to 
pay for those lots, and It was some time before the 
reason of our action became publicly known, but 
once the purpose was understood prices went up 
rapidly, compelling us to furnish a large amount to 
secure the houses and land on Green Street." 
Here Mr. Tuck gave further proof of his abounding 
generosity by offering to contribute to the fund 
necessary to be raised for a suitable and spacious 
location. But the money question involved in 
securing the land continued to perplex those In 
charge of the matter, and to give them serious 
thought. The situation became intense as the 
proposed size of the building made it clear to all 

[39] 



that more land would be required to enlarge the 
site comprised in the original purchase. 

When new sources of money contributions be- 
came urgent for buying the additional land, this 
was the way Mr. Kimball managed the situation. 
After the money in the treasury that could be used 
for the purchase of land had been appropriated 
there remained a further amount of ^33,000 to 
raise before the purchase could be completed. 
Mr. Kimball and Mr. Eastman, courageous and 
resolute, borrowed on their own notes money 
sufficient to acquire the land and to vest it in 
the Society. I will now let Mr. Kimball tell how 
he finally secured the desired ^33,000. "After 
many months the thought came to me of erect- 
ing a grand tablet In the building which should 
contain the names of the persons who contributed 
each a thousand dollars to lift the burden that 
weighed so heavily. I outlined my idea to Guy 
Lowell who quickly accepted it, and, in reply to 
my enquiry respecting the place of the memo- 
rial, suggested the space at the south end of 
the reading room, where it remains to this day. 

[40] 



After drawing several designs Mr. Lowell produced 
the design so much admired, and I set about to find 
a slab of the rare marble large enough to carry out 
my scheme. This proved to be extremely difficult. 
Finally I requested Timothy P. Sullivan to go into 
the market, and in New York he found, after long 
search, a block of marble suitable in size and quality 
for our purpose. The marble was sent to Boston 
where the cutting and lettering were artistically 
executed." 

Owing to the exceedingly delicate and exacting 
labor necessary to the bronze lettering, the work- 
men suffered from eye strain, consequently the work 
was prolonged and made more costly than the first 
estimate. The accomplished architect had made a 
sketch of the finished tablet which Mr. Kimball ex- 
hibited to the score or more of invited contributors 
with the happiest results. In the opinion of Mr. 
Kimball this exquisite mural tablet, richly embel- 
lished with the names of generous men and women, 
is one of the finest objects in art construction to be 
seen in the building, and surpassed only by French's 
master sculpture over the main entrance. 

[41] 



As the building assumed its exterior form the 
interior features became the subject of thought, 
study and suggestion. In a really large sense this 
is an important part in our narrative. The con- 
sistency and the dignity of ornate beauty must be 
studied and made effective and agreeable to the 
eye. The interior should interpret itself to the 
intelligence and the understanding of generations 
to come. It should be coherent yet rich, impress- 
ive yet inviting. As we contemplate the noble 
beauty of the marble rotunda and the stairway, I 
wonder if we realize the labor and the devotion to 
artistic perfection, the continued application, and 
the profuse generosity that so dignify this house 
beautiful and contribute to our unwritten history. 
"During one of my visits with Mr. and Mrs. Tuck," 
says Mr. Kimball, "the elaboration of the interior 
was carefully and thoroughly considered. Mr. 
Lowell had made a beautiful set of drawings of the 
reading room, the lecture hall, and the rotunda, 
and to these we gave our thoughts day after day. 
The rotunda became the subject of our constant 
discussion. The drawings called for Old Convent 

[42 1 



Sienna marble in solid blocks, especially so for the 
arches and the crown. Naturally, this design 
increased the cost very materially, but it gave a 
stateliness and magnificence that were quickly 
recognized and admired, and so the question about 
the marble arches and marble walls was then and 
there determined." Well may Mr. Kimball say 
that that decision put the final touch on the interior 
construction of the building. But another very 
important feature remained to be talked about 
and envisaged. The main entrance, its approach, 
and the architectural interpretation of the building 
itself became an impressive and intensive study. 

Mr. Lowell had prepared a plan which did not 
fully satisfy Mr. Tuck or Mr. Kimball, not because 
the plan lacked beauty of design or artistic form, 
but because it did not give the imposing prominence 
to the entrance that the building seemed to re- 
quire. Another plan followed later, and that plan 
worked out in granite and marble and bronze will 
always be a source of admiration and delight to 
all who behold it. In the meanwhile the grandest 
feature of all had been decided on. The genius 

[43] 



of the sculptor was invoked, enabling the archi- 
tect to elaborate his entrance studies into har- 
monious and exquisite results acceptable to the 
donor and his friend. Wise and singularly appro- 
priate was the choice of Daniel C. French, a 
native of New Hampshire, to execute the massive 
figures that dignify the main entrance. 

And so the Historical Society building ap- 
proached its completion, a model of what such a 
structure should be, and an illustration of man's 
benevolence seldom surpassed. Nor is this all. 
Far more than the material results was the rare 
intercourse springing out of the profoundest 
depths of mutual respect and confidence. Reflect 
a moment. While I may tell you that this gift to 
our Society cost Edward Tuck more than half a 
million dollars, I desire to add this, and I allude to 
it in order to emphasize what I have just said, 
that from the beginning to the day of dedication 
no written promise, condition, contract or agree- 
ment ever passed between Edward Tuck and 
Benjamin A. Kimball. The mind of the master 
builder with its living passion for the beautiful in 

[44] 



construction, touching the soul of a trusting friend 
beyond the sea brought about this superb consum- 
mation. At the dedicatory exercises Mr. Tuck, 
in his address of presentation, referred to Mr. 
Kimball in sincere and felicitous words: "It is 
fitting that I should make the presentation through 
you, for having from the inception of our plans 
the benefit of your superior judgment in all mat- 
ters pertaining to construction, of your artistic 
taste, your vigilant watchfulness throughout the 
work, and your public spirit in devoting to it your 
valuable time, I decided to provide for the erection 
of something more monumental and ornate than 
a simple library building. It is due to you, also, 
that for its plan and construction we secured the 
services of the distinguished architect, Mr. Guy 
Lowell." And as a supplement to those words of 
appreciation I wish to record among the unwritten 
facts in this narrative that Mr. Kimball from first 
to last contributed liberally and often to this great 
work, and time and expense were cheerfully given 
that perfection in all respects might be attained. 
I have now told the interesting story I wished to 

[45] 



tell, firmly believing that its preservation in our 
archives is something we owe to others as well as 
to our Society. We may, I believe, search in vain 
to find another achievement so splendid as this. 
Rich with facts, incidents, and circumstances, 
our beautiful home is its own model. Vision, 
perception, endeavor, patience, perseverance are 
recounted in granite and marble and bronze, which 
shall endure in commemoration of the benevolence 
of the generous donor. Our days are numbered 
but our gratitude shall not be measured by our 
shadows on earth. Let all our members present 
and to come acknowledge with a full heart the 
debt the New Hampshire Historical Society owes 
to Edward Tuck and Benjamin A. Kimball. 



46 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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